BP must give answers on oil well, US government says

BP has been given 24 hours to answer questions on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, says the US government's incident commander.

Adm Thad Allen sent a letter to the oil giant's managing director Bob Dudley saying the company must hand over "detailed plans and timelines" on stopping the leak.

The information is needed before BP is allowed to change caps on the oil well.

Switching caps would allow more oil to be captured.

The new cap on the well will have a more secure seal, with BP also connecting a third containment ship to capture more oil.

But while the caps are being changed the rate oil is spilling out will increase.

If the third containment ship, the Helix Producer, has not been connected when the change of caps is made, there will only be one vessel capturing oil.

BP's latest moves are also part of efforts to create a system for tackling the leak that is prepared for potential hurricanes.

The US National Hurricane Center issued a warning on Wednesday about a tropical depression which has formed in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical storms could disrupt efforts to contain oil which has been leaking from the site of the Deepwater Horizon rig since April.
'Ahead of schedule'

BP says its operation to drill a relief well to stop the Gulf of Mexico oil leak is "slightly ahead of schedule". Adm Allen confirmed this during a press conference on Thursday.

Crews expect to reach the Deepwater Horizon well roughly 18,000ft (5,500m) below sea level and drill into its casing in seven to ten days.

But crews won't know how much time it will take to stop the leak until they reach the well.

Adm Allen said if the oil is leaking out through different parts of the well, it would likely take until the middle of August to stop the gushing oil with mud and cement.

"If you have to exhaust all means for the ways that hydrocarbons are coming up the pipe, then that puts you into middle August," he said.

Adm Allen then added if the oil is only travelling up the well's central casing, BP may be able to stop the flow sooner.

Source: BBC News